Celebration delays birthday bourbon

LOUISVILLE, KY — Master distiller Chris Morris has been releasing Old Forester’s vintage-dated Birthday Bourbons each September since 2002. For those anxious about this year’s edition, be patient.

Chris told me during a special tasting event here this week that the 2008 version will be delayed until probably late fall. Right now, marketing and production attention is being lavished on the introduction of a one-time-only Old Forester Repeal Bourbon that is in the pipeline for early November release as part of the festivities marking the 75th anniversary of Prohibition’s repeal.

For a look at my tasting notes on last September’s birthday bourbon, go here. And, for a sneak preview of the Repeal Bourbon, go here.
Old Forester (originally spelled Forrester, and named for a local Civil War hero) is the historic brand created by Brown-Forman, a company founded in 1870 by pharmaceuticals salesman George Garvin Brown.

Brown was the first to bottle bourbon, marketing a blend he made of whiskies from several distilleries as part of his plan to maintain an even quality product. Eventually, he launched his own distillery.

His company survived Prohibition when Owsley Brown, George’s son, obtained one of only 10 federal licenses to continue selling whiskey — for medicinal purposes.

Brown-Forman used its existing stock of bourbon to fill prescription orders, then in 1923 bought the Early Times brand and its bourbon inventory. By 1929, all supplies of pre-Prohibition whiskey were exhausted and the government allowed the specially licensed companies to make more whiskey — at a Louisville distillery operated by the federal government.

Thus, Brown-Forman is the only existing U.S. company in the spirits and wine business that has spanned pre-, during and post-Prohibition periods.

Just in case anyone might think the 162nd birthday of George Garvin Brown (seen here) was not honored this month, it was. A special birthday cake was presented after the tasting event at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville to honor the man who created what went on to become the dominant company in Louisville economic history.

2 Responses

Now your talking a bourbon that really tastes like bourbon should. The only complaint about this bourbon is that they changed the label to a new design, that just doesn’t exemplify the traditional nature of the liquid gold contained within.

Actually, I kind of like the new design. Although it’s gold lettering on the bottle rather than ink-like lettering on a white label, the text remains the same: George Garvin Brown’s original guarantee of quality to consumers.

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